it could affect 50 million people along the east coast. we have all of this covered including the political ramifications of the storm in the coming days. we are nine days to go until the election. i want to go live first to asbury bark on the new jersey shore where we go through the latest, including what you were talking about. we could see the aftereffects through election day. >> exactly, david. this is a monster storm. right now, it's about 260 miles south-southeast of cape hatteras but it's also 395 miles east of new york city. it is a sprawling system. tropical force winds extend out 500 miles from the center of the storm. this is 1,000 miles in diameter. it's making its way along the coast. right now, it's a category 1 storm. it's going to parallel the coast for 24 hours. late monday night, early tuesday

morning, the path of the storm brings it on shore in central coastal new jersey. the worst part of the storm is the northeast quadrant. that northeast quadrant, if it follows this path, we expect it to will put it in line for coastal new jersey, new york city connecticut, new england. the storm surge is going to be anywhere from five to ten feet above normal tide. it's going to come in at an ast nom cal high tide as well. add a rainfall from anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of rain. they are going to have coastal flooding, flooding inland and the wind, there are high wind warnings, we are talking from virginia up to boston and as far west as west virginia. we are talking 60 million people. because of the high winds, we expect massive power outages throughout the area. as it moves on shore, it's going to be long term. it's going to last 72 hours.

we are talking people who could be without power for at least ten days. that, as you know, will take it into election day. what will people do if they can't get to the voting booth or the voting booths don't have power? it's going to be a mess over the next 72 hours. david? >> al roker, thank you very much. we'll be watching that. don't forget early voting going on as well. we want to bring in chuck todd. we have our october surprise now. it's hurricane sandy. as we get closer to election day, identify for me the two or three states you think we ought to be focusing on. >> it's obvious. look at the battleground map here. all the states in yellow are the final seven states. if you look at the candidates schedule, it tells us everything. where the candidates are going tells us where they think this schedule is. the storm reeked havoc.

the president canceled virginia events tomorrow. canceled colorado tuesday and wisconsin tuesday, depending on the impact of the storm also canceled. you can see the emphasis of where he wants to be over 72 hours, florida, ohio and wisconsin. he wanted to be in virginia and colorado. let's look at governor romney's schedule. it's ohio today. it was supposed to be virginia today, but he moved all of those events to ohio because of the storm. look where he's spending monday. it's the midwest. it's where they feel they have to pick off a couple states. it's not just ohio. it's ohio plus something else. >> as i talked to the romney campaign, they were emphasizing this momentum. they feel the debates gave him a second look to carry him through election day. obama folks, look at the electoral map map. we could be in for quite a finish if they are both right. >> they are both right. we talked the popular vote. polling out today, if you look

at the president's lead for instance on the west coast in california, the lead has been cut in half. i have done back to the envelope map. romney makes up 6 million, 7 million, 8 million votes. he could pick up a bunch of votes in the non-battleground states. go to the battleground. i'll show how easy it is. if you take today's polls, the president is winning in virginia. wisconsin is on the ground. it leans toward the president. now you give him new hampshire and he sits at 270. that's giving romney ohio, florida and iowa and colorado. that's this issue of the battleground versus the popular. >> more to come from chuck todd. thank you very much. i want to get to the battleground governors. rachel maddow is here from msnbc.

carly fiorina. david baracrooks from "the washington post." i feel it's going to be dominated by the economy. it can tip the scales. we have seen an argument from the president that is about trust. this is how he lays it out against governor romney. >> there's no more serious issue in a presidential campaign than trust. trust matters. you know, you want to know that the person who is applying to be your president and commander and chief is trustworthy. that he means what he says. that he's not just making stuff up depending on whether it's convenient or not. >> how is he using that argument to advance that cause? you cannot trust what you are going to get to lead to economic recovery? >> i think the president is -- as the race gets narrower and narrower, we focus on smaller and smaller places and voters.

it's a very resonant argument. we are talking the economy in the midwest, in ohio. on the integrity issue, the trust issue, romney went to defiance, ohio and told a group of 11,000 people jeep is about to move all of their production overseas. i read that somewhere. not at all true. it's okay to make a flub, but not to correct it. they asked are you sure he meant that? no response clearing that up. there's been a truthfulness problem that connects the economy in the states that matter. >> carly, you have governor romney not focusing on trust. do you want another four years like we have had. >> this is not the time to double down and trickle down on policies that failed us. it's time for bold changes that measure up to the moment and

bring america's families up that the future will be better than the past. >> rachel brings up a good point focusing on ohio. 7% unemployment in that state. how much credit does the president deserve for improving conditions in battleground states? >> that important state has a republican governor that's done the opposite of what obama claims he's going to do. he's lowered taxes and closed budge elt deficits. i find the trust comment hard. president obama promised we would have 4.2% economic growth right now. we have 2%. he promised an unemployment rate lower than we have. on the issue of trust, what is going on with regard to libya. we have an extraordinary thing where the president comes out on friday and says i directed that everything possible should be done to aid our embassy under attack.

that attack went on for seven hours. secretary of defense saying he denied requests for help over that seven hours. >> we'll get to that later. >> but it's a trust issue. >> on the economy, how does it tip the scales, david brooks? >> i think it's been the worst campaign i have ever covered. they are both ending where they started. obama doing a negative campaign. he's got an ad out about romney and the flip-flop and what we have heard. it's almost pure negativity. romney is trying to appeal to moderates and women, which is a bipartisan ad saying i don't care if it's a republican or democrat idea, i'm for that. you know, he has -- it's not who he is or what his policies are. i regard it as a campaign that's not addressed these issues. they are finishing as badly as they started.

>> i disagree, david. i think the trust issue links with the economic issue. it's a product. like if you are selling the car, you want air-conditioning, i'll give you that. you want rich, remember all that, i'll give you that. romney is saying you want that, i'll give you that. you want sen tryst, i'll give you that. the auto rescue is a good example where he was against it. in the debate, trying to suggest he was for it. it's entirely appropriate that the auto rescue has been so important to obama doing so well in ohio. it's a choice. either government should sit by and let the market do its thing or govern comes in and prevents catastrophe. it's the kind of choice we face. >> if you want trust, what obama is talking about on the trail. first of all, there's no second term agenda. when he goes off the record, he gives out an agenda that's

nothing like what he's been talking about on the trail. >> it's not true at all. >> immigration. he's talked immigration reform which he's not talked about much in public. cutting $2.50 for every tax dollar in revenue. it's not what he's been running. >> if you want to talk about being factually accurate, it's factually inaccurate to say governor romney was against the rescue of the auto industry. if you read his op-ed, you are journalist, you believe words are important. what he says is he believes the government should have provided financial guarantees. the difference between governor romney and president obama is who gets to stand first in line to get paid off. >> money in the market that was going to go into the auto industry. >> that's what he said in the op-ed. >> what government -- >> hold on.

rachel, quick comment, then get back to chuck. >> he said you can kiss the auto motive industry good-bye if he goes with the plan he went with. it was a success. mr. romney is trying to deny he was against it and trying to take credit for it. >> ford motor company was not rescued. >> they were appraifraid the su chain would go out. >> we'll have more on the economy as we move around. i'm about to talk to john casic in ohio. these themes are perfectly in his house because it's what is going to decide ohio. before we do that, i think it would be interesting because we talk so much about ohio, how do you win the campaign. i want to bring chuck back in. we have a poll out of ohio, 49-49. the race is tight. this was before the final debate. take a moment here to take us

through how each side wins this state. >> the joke is, it's five states within one state. the five ohios. the romney pattern, run up the score in cold country, it's what bush did in '04. win columbus media market an '04 bush territory. for the president, run up the store in cleveland, cuyahoga county and overperform with working class white guys in the auto belt, if you will. if you are looking at one county that may tell us more than anything, sit over here and we are going to hamilton county. look at this. it's as easy of a swing county as it was. bush in '04. obama by 30,000. it's why romney spent a lot of time in cincinnati this week. now let's turn to the republican governor of ohio, governor

casic. good to have you on the program. >> good to listen to that big debate going on. >> we are going to get you in on it, too. >> wow. >> it's nice to start with a little bit of a chuckle before we get into the serious issues. this was the cleveland dealer on thursday. here is his cartoon that i thought was so telling. it's the martian landing thing, take me to your leader. the guy says they are somewhere in ohio. as you well know, everybody is in ohio. i want to ask you the direct question, governor. you have 7% unemployment. it's better than the national average. who deserves credit for that? the president, you as the republican governor or neither one of you? >> well, you know, david, it's probably the job creators. we are up 112,000 jobs. how did we get there? we made ohio a state for business attraction and expansion. we balanced our budget.

we run a half billion dollars on a rainy day fund. regulators use common sense. when you do all that in a state within 600 miles in 60% of the country and great diversity among people, we just really cleared the way for people to feel confident that they could invest here. you know, i'm interested in the auto debate. you know, of 112,000 jobs created, according to the bureau of labor statistics, in america, they are the vatican. you can't question them. the bureau of labor statistics says we were up a total of 400 auto jobs when you count the companies and suppliers. of the 400 jobs up, 400 is great. we are thrilled. we have a strong auto industry. we want it to be stronger. but it doesn't account for the growth of 112,000 jobs in our state. >> one out of eight jobs in your state affiliated with the auto

industry. if the president had not pursued his bailout plan, do you think the state would be in the same economic condition today? >> i'm glad the auto industry is strong. i don't know anybody who didn't think it needed to be saved. i will tell you, there's no way i would support anybody that didn't support the auto industry. in the last quarter, the most significant area of growth in ohio is investment technology. i.p. we have groan financial services. we have grown health care. look, there's been significant investment by auto companies in ohio. they are reducing their footprint. i wish we could get more here. i just met with the delphi team trying to get more business there. but, i mean, let's be fair about this. the fact is, the bureau of labor statistics said when you take everything into account, companies and suppliers we are up 400 jobs. we did not grow by relying on one industry or one sector.

we have done it by diversifying ohio and making it safe for people to come in here. i called ceos in other states and they are interested in what we are doing here. there are no surprises coming. when there are no surprises, investors and business people, job creators think it's safe to go there. the proof is in the pudding. >> let me ask you about unemployment. whoever is responsible for the success in ohio, governor romney doesn't seem impressed. this is what he said speaking earlier this month to the columbia dispatch review board. i don't think 7.2% unemployment is something to write home and about celebrate. if you consider the 200 plus people who dropped out of the work force in ohio, the real number is closer to 10%. i don't find people thinking happy days are here again. what about unemployment nationally. what should we expect under president romney, if it comes to that? >> first of all, in terms of the unemployment numbers and who is

in and who is out, i mean, i'm always concerned about what the numbers really mean. what i do know is over the last four years, we lost 400,000 jobs. since january of '11, we are up 112,000 jobs. we are outperforming every other state in the midwest. if it's significant, why is it we are outperforming michigan and why it is that ohio is number one in the midwest and number four in the country? in terms of romney, look, what i want out of a president is stability. look, small businesses get paralyzed. if they don't know what the regulations are or the taxes are going to be, if they don't know what they are going to do with debt and what the people in washington are going to do, they sit on the sidelines. i want certainty. i think there's ways to get an agreement in washington. it doesn't have to mean higher rates. it can mean lower rates. >> governor -- >> they will grow.

what will we get out of him? a movement toward a balanced budget. stabilization of taxes and for some, a tax cut. regulators that use common sense and not overdue it. we have strong regulations on oil and gas. the toughest in the country. we don't overdo it. when people understand certainty, they invest. this is not theory. i was in business for ten years. we had a lot of people that had never been in business their entire lifetime. they don't understand it. i do understand it. when they are confident of the future, they can invest. there's a lot of money on the sidelines. if romney wins, i think we'll see an improved economy. that's why i'm for him. i want ohio to do better than we are. >> an attack line from the president is that romney is not one of us. that's what's running in his ads. it's supporting auto workers in your state. here is an editorial last

sunday. the question is, which romney are voters going to get? which romney would they elect. the liberal one who ran for senate in '94, the pragmatic governor, the candidate of this year's gop primary? all politicians change positions over time. his changes raise questions over his core principles and make the details all the more troubling. would he stand-up to his own party, especially house republicans who undercut ohioan john boehner's attempts. how do you respond to that? >> look at his record. the guy created jobs. he's a job creator. we need that. jobs are the greatest moral issue when people are working, families are stronger. number two, he was governor of massachusetts. they went from deficits to surpluses from job loss to job creation. then you look at the olympics where he was a pure leader.

look at his history. it tells you who he is. he's pragmatic, no question about it. he's also tough, firm and understands job creation. in terms of people not getting him, the first debate, i have never seen a debate have this much impact. the first debate gave people the chance to see, romney is smart, he knows this and that but he doesn't get me. in the first debate, i believe he was able to connect with people. they said you know, maybe he does get me. that was an important part of why there's momentum in the state of ohio right now. i believe right now we are currently ahead. internal show is currently ahead. honestly think romney is going to carry ohio. i have not been saying this. i believe it's going to happen. >> governor, there's 15 seconds left. technical question. do you think we are going to know the outcome of ohio on election night? provisional ballots could become an issue that take additional

time to be counted. what do you say? >> it's going to be really close, david. the only thing i can say is i hope you keep talking about ohio and all those folks that want to create jobs, come see me. >> do you think we'll know the winner of ohio on election night? >> i don't know. it's going to be very close. i think we will know before the end of the night. i tell you something, the independent voters are trending heavily toward mitt romney. with those numbers like that, it pretty well assures me we are going to know. i'm not sure it's going to be as close as we are talking about today. i'm not saying it for spin. it's what i believe. >> governor, good to have you on. >> always good to be with you, david. thank you. >> we are going to take a quick break and get reaction to the governor from our round table and look inside the voting groups that will decide the race. nine days to go. that's it. we are inside the battleground. joining in on the conversation,

governor of colorado and the wisconsin governor. we'll go inside those battlegrounds as well after a break. [ male announcer ] wouldn't it be cool if we took the nissan altima and reimagined nearly everything in it? gave it greater horsepower and best in class 38 mpg highway... advanced headlights... and zero gravity seats? yeah, that would be cool. ♪ introducing the completely reimagined nissan altima. it's our most innovative altima ever. nissan. innovation that excites. ♪ nissan. innovation that excites. one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk,

we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now. to chart a greener path in the air and in our factories. ♪ to find cleaner, more efficient ways to power flight. ♪ and harness our technology for new energy solutions. [ female announcer ] around the globe, the people of boeing are working together, to build a better tomorrow. that's why we're here. ♪

coming up, more from the battlegrounds, colorado and wisconsin, two big battlegrounds that the campaigns will have their eyes on, i'll be joined by colorado governor j it's something you're born with. and inspires the things you choose to do. you do what you do... because it matters. at hp we don't just believe in the power of technology. we believe in the power of people when technology works for you.

to dream. to create. to work. if you're going to do something. make it matter. and every day since, two years ago, the people of bp made a commitment to the gulf. we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy -- and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've learned with governments and across the industry so we can all produce energy more safely. i want you to know, there's another commitment bp takes just as seriously: our commitment to america. bp supports nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs in communities across the country. we hired three thousand people just last year. bp invests more in america than in any other country. in fact, over the last five years, no other energy company has invested more in the us than bp.

we're working to fuel america for generations to come. today, our commitment to the gulf, and to america, has never been stronger.

u know that every 34 seconds every 40 seconds someone has a stroke. but it doesn't have to be that way. every day there's hope. join me and the american heart association and get serious about your heart and your health. if you're doing nothing, do something.

if you're doing something, do more. find healthy living solutions from the american heart association's my heart my life. it's that simple. back with our roundtable, i want to talk about some of the demographics that play in the campaign. but i think the economy and ohio as you heard from governor racic is really what the debate is at. what did you take away from that rachel. >> i think what's interesting is what's happened in ohio politics. looking at john kasich, the last tyke i heard him talk that much uninterrupted was over union rights. they stripped union rights there was a huge backlash in the state. there was a referendum, they lost by 22 points. were trying to get rid of half of early voting. they took that off the table. there's an organized progressive and centrist movement in ohio

because of the kind of governance that kasich was bragging about there. there's another side that i think is going to affect organize's organizing capacity. that's why i think ohio is leaning more blue than it otherwise might be. >> ohio is prospering in part because of what kasich did. it seems that obama has a leg up in part because of fracking. if some of the environmental groups had been able to shut down cracking, ohio, boem could win because of fracking and all the jobs that's creating. second thing, the core issue of this campaign, we've got a need for tremendous government reform. we've got governments that are helping create a sclerotic economy, and what kasich has done, what mitch daniels has done, indiana, some of those reform governors have done the sort of reforms that strip away the sclerosis. and i'm surprised that mitt romney isn't running on that sort of broad -- i'm not radical. look at what mitch daniels has done, i want to do it for the federal government. >> it's amazing he's not running

on a change washington. he's winning the question, but not by a lot and it's always amayed me. the country is not happy with washington. i want to go back to the demographic yes. what makes ohio different from all the other battleground states and all of the other mathematics from obama campaign. it's the state that demograph demographically doesn't fit what they're trying to do everything that they're trying to do in every other swing state is about hispanics and gender. not ohio. the demographic group that mitt romney performs best with is white men. the demographic group he's performing poorly in ohio is white men. auto workers in toledo, akron, northwest part of the state. >> i think the reason for that is a, what rachel mentioned, the fight over union rights. a lot of counties that voted for kasich in the election swung overwhelmingly in favor of the unions in the referendum. secondly again the auto rescue. which makes a big difference in

that quadrant you talked about. which is white working-class voters. and governor kasich dissed michigan, which i suppose is what you do when you're governor of ohio. michigan has had one of the biggest drops in unemployment. when obama took office, michigan was a mess because of the auto industry. they've had a huge drop of unemployment. even though they a little bit higher now than michigan. and i was struck that governor kasich suggested that everybody was for the auto rescue. no, they weren't. most republicans, with the exception by the way of president george w. bush who let it happen with actions he took, were against the auto rescue. so i don't understand, well i do understand, but people just don't want to take responsibility for where they stood on that issue. >> this was a question, carly about the auto bailout b. what role government direct government money would play in restructuring these companies. >> that's right. and who stands first in line to be repaid? is it the unions? or is it debtors and creditors?

that was the fundamental question. and the truth is, it is disingenuous and factually inaccurate to say that republicans weren't for the rescue of the auto industry. the question was how. and what. and who would be repaid. but let me go back to your original question. of course it's about the economy. and in ohio, both governor kasich and mitt romney are right. governor kasich is right that his policies fundamentally different than obama's, lower taxes, close the budget deficit. make, create a regulatory environment that encourages investment and certainty. that those are improving the situation. governor romney is also, however, correct that there's a long way to go. and that there are lots of people in ohio and elsewhere around this country who are unemployed or underemployed and we have huge progress. and 2% gdp growth is nothing to crow about. in fact it's less growth than in 2011 and less than 2010. >> all the economic news is about republican policies and all the bad economic news is because of democratic policies?

it's funny, it's just disingenuous. >> how much of this is a problem in terms of how people feel, rachel. we see more economic optimism in the country and yet people are still feeling like the obama record is lackluster and you look at the recovery still not feeling like it's robust enough. >> and you see it just in the raw consumer confidence numbers. you see consumer confidence trending up and the unemployment rate trending down and you see the deficit dropping year to year. you see things going in the right direction. people have to decide if they want to switch horses and go with a guy who is promising a fundamentally different way to go. if he's sort of an economic austerity, more european style of going or whether you think president obama is turning this thing around. that's the fundamental decision people have to make. >> the weird thing about this election is the country thinks we're in the wrong election, and i think the most likely outcome is they re-elect everybody. we get the same government we've had the last four years. and so to me the case that has to be made is we have had a

rotten tax code, a dysfunctional politics, how are you going to change that? i haven't seen obama do the sort of big change agenda he did four years ago. i've seen romney make gestures at it, but not lay it out in a way that's forceful. that i think would make a change, want to do actual change. >> let me continue that theme. i want to pick up there as we turn to the democratic governor of battleground, colorado, john hickenlooper and the republican governor, paul ryan's home state of wisconsin, scott walker. governors, welcome back to "meet the press," both of you. >> glad to be back. >> both states are pretty tight here, pretty remarkable is tight as well, good news for romney. a rrn hasn't won your state since 1984. and in colorado, governor hickenlooper, look at our latest polling from nbc news and marist. 48-48. i know talking to the obama campaign. i know they think it's not that close, but they know it's tight. governor hickenlooper, you start, what's decisive? what tips the scales in your state and in this election?

>> well i think if you look at the mess that president obama inherited and i mean losing 800,000 jobs a month, month after month, the first few months of his presidency. he's turned it around, got 32 months of job creation, 5.2 million jobs. the national export initiative, exports were up 38%. i think people are going to hear that and i think they're going to recognize that governor romney's plan of adding $2 trillion to military spending and at the same time promising $5 trillion of tax cuts to largely skewed to the wealthier parts of the population, without any specifics, right? i mean it's like trying to sell a pig in a poke. what are those deductions and tax credits he's going to get rid of? are we going to lose the home mortgage deduction? the deduction for giving for philanthropic organizations? like churches that are in many cases for local government are best partners at fighting important

poverty, that kind of stuff. >> governor walker, for you as well, the defining issue that determines the outcome in your state? >> well it's certainly about jobs. in our case it's elections are fundamentally about the future and not about the past. so i think people on the few weeks back on that night in denver and john's state outside of his hometown there when voters got to see that mitt romney had a plan and the president didn't. and now in the last few days, he's trying to gloss that over with a 20-page glossy document. he doesn't have a plan, mitt romney does. in fact just yesterday as i was traveling the state, there were literally farmers out in fields that had almost like a burma shave commercial. they had one sign after another after another that listed out the five points of his plan. people want to know how they're going to get working in janesville or green bay or wausau or milwaukee or superior. they want to know how we're going to get working again. i think it was clear after the debate. they saw record numbers of volunteers coming into the campaign offices. more importantly, we saw the biggest jump in the polls in wisconsin after people saw the difference in that first debate. >> i want to ask you both about the experiences you've had in

your states, dealing with the other side, the party on the other side, and how you think that may be instructive to, to washington in a new congress, in a new administration, whether it's republican or democrat. governor walker, let me start with you, when it comes to balancing the budget. is it really acceptable for governor romney to go to washington, if it comes to that and say, well through tax reform, i'm going balance the budget? or through tax cuts we're going to grow our way into this? is that an appropriately balanced approach to solving this problem? >> well i think more than anything, what people want is action, they want results, they look at the -- i think about my wife, tonette and i looking at our two kids, one a freshman in college and the other a senior in high school. we worry that tremendously four years from now, they won't have an opportunity when they get out of college, to have a job. we worry tremendously years after that if our kids get married and have kids of their own, our grandkids won't be able to inherit the kind of america we had because of the massive

debt. >> i'm asking how you get to results. >> we want results. >> i'm asking you how you get there. you have a candidate who has rejected a 10-1 spending cut to tax to revenue increasing formula. does that jibe with you as you have to navigate some tough circumstances in your own state? is that a way to run washington? >> sure. in wisconsin's case, like kasich and others did around the country. we lowered the overall property taxes, the overall burden went down and revenues went up. why? because we promoted more growth. we went from a few years ago, having 9.2% unemployment. down to 7.3% today. we went if losing hundreds of thousands of jobs to gaining jobs. why? because you've got to have a pro growth agenda. when you do, that will help washington grow in the right direction. it puts more people to work and when more people are working, it balances the economy as well. >> let me ask a question to governor hickenlooper on the democratic side. do you think the democrats are in effect playing by old rules, too protective of entitlements, not serious enough about looking at serious reform that could

also have a bigger impact on how to deal with the debt? you've got to look at it you've got to have both, right? in colorado certainly we have worked very lard unlike the president, when i got elected in 2010, republicans sat down, we worked together. you know we did our budget last year, in a divided general assembly, we passed it with 86 out of 100 votes. you've got to have, it's great to continue trying to get rid of red tape and lower taxes wherever possible. but you also got to have some revenue sources, too. if we're going to deal with the fiscal cliff, right in the lame duck session, which i think is a huge challenge. we've got to get everybody working together. you look at some of the people that really do understand job creation and how businesses grow. warren buffett, who supported president obama, he's looking at this cliff issue as really one of the key issues. people do want certainty. but that's the biggest uncertainty of them all is can republicans and democrats work together and get a resolution

here. >> let me ask you both, it's striking to me -- >> just on that one point. >> go ahead, governor. >> i would say on that point briefly. remember both of us are governors here. mitt romney is a governor in state where 85% of the legislature was democrat-controlled. yet he balanced the budget, did it without raising taxes in a way that helped create more jobs. per your point, he's proven he can do it in a state like massachusetts. i think he can do it in america america. >> it struck me there's not a more robust debate in this campaign about gun violence in americand what to do about it. is that the state governments should just sort of keep their hands off it and not let it happen. but sort of -- sort of abdicate this idea that there's not much in terms of regulation that can you do to accomplish this. both states that you represent have had shooting rampages. governor hickenlooper have you been dispointed that there's not a more robust debate about this? >> i think if you look at some of the weapons that people are using in these, these senseless

attacks, i mean 12-gauge shotguns, there's 120 million out there. i do worry that some of the cuts that governor romney is proposing are going to cut funding in all manner of levels for mental health. i mean that's one of the big issues. we've got some crazy folks out there that are just completely delusional. we've got to be able to identify that sooner and get them into treatment. get them off the street before they do some sort of insane act. >> governor walker, who you do you respond to that? why not more of a debate about this? it's been virtually absent. >> and in our case in the recent tragedy we had in wisconsin, we need greater focus, something that republicans and democrats can agree on, a greater focus on tightening up domestic violence laws, that's where the biggest problem was in the recent tragedy in the state of wisconsin. we didn't do enough in this state apparently at the local level to adequately enforce those laws, we didn't do enough to stand up for domestic violence victims at our state and local level and i think that's something that is not a

partisan level. and something at the federal, state and local level needs to be highlighted. >> we'll be watching both your states very closely in the days leading up to election day. thank you. more with the roundtable coming back, including the demographic issue. the fight for women voters, the fight for latino voters, how much that's going to impact. plus, what are we going to see from either a romney administration or an obama i don't spend money on gasoline.

i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt. i go to the gas station such a small amount that i forget how to put gas in my car. [ male announcer ] and it's not just these owners giving the volt high praise. volt received the j.d. power and associates appeal award two years in a row. ♪ appeal award two years in a row. when you take a closer look... ...at the best schools in the world...

...you see they all have something very interesting in common. they have teachers... ...with a deeper knowledge of their subjects. as a result, their students achieve at a higher level. let's develop more stars in education. let's invest in our teachers... ...so they can inspire our students. let's solve this.

monarch of marketing analysis. with the ability to improve roi through seo all by cob. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. i'm going b-i-g. [ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. go national. go like a pro. [ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. i'i invest in what i know.r. i turned 65 last week. i'm getting married. planning a life. there are risks, sure. but, there's no reward without it. i want to be prepared for the long haul. i see a world bursting with opportunities. india, china, brazil, ishares, small-caps, large-caps, ishares. industrials. low cost. every dollar counts. ishares. income. dividends. bonds.

i like bonds. ishares. commodities. diversification. choices. my own ideas. ishares. i want to use the same stuff the big guys use. ishares. 9 out of 10 large, professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. introducing the ishares core, etfs for the heart of your portfolio. tax efficient and low cost building blocks to help you keep more of what you earn. call your advisor. visit ishares.com. ishares. yeah, ishares. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm proud of that. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference.

♪ for real. ...that make a real difference. music is a universal language. but when i was in an accident... i was worried the health care system spoke a language all its own with unitedhealthcare, i got help that fit my life. information on my phone. connection to doctors who get where i'm from. and tools to estimate what my care may cost. so i never missed a beat. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. back with our roundtable, one of the big pushes in the final nine days is for women. you've seen this across the landscape here, not only in the presidential race, but in the tight senate races as well. we have the latest out of indiana with the candidate there, richard mourdock, talking about rape once again, that it could be god's will and that a

pregnancy because of rape should be taken to term. this ironically and the timing was bad for mitt romney, wassed only senate campaign that romney had actually weighed in on with an endorsement. and so the democratic national committee aired this ad to get into this debate. >> this fall, i'm supporting richard mourdock for senate. >> even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that god intended to happen. >> this is man who i want to see in washington, to make sure that we cannot just talk about changing things, but actually have the votes to get things changed. >> this follows of course the todd akin, the candidate in missouri, talking about legitimate rape. carly fiorina, this seems to be acultural problem within the republican party. you can't lay this at the feet of mitt romney to be sure. there are a lot of women who are seeing this as fundamental disrespect for women, that is part of the republican party. how do you see it?

>> first of all, talk about bad timing for mitt romney's endorsement. mourdock said a really bad thing and he apologized. and in other words, in that state there are two pro life candidates running, richard mourdock is clearly more extreme. and i agree, i think most people disagree with him. here's the reason why governor romney is gaining among women right now. he is gaining among women. and that's because women care about the economy. women care about the role of government. women care about their children's education. women care about their health care. and more women are living in poverty under this president than any other time in decades. that's why governor romney is winning with women. >> fair point. rachel, one of the things you're seeing, it was tina fey speaking in new york, seem to strike the chord about going beyond abortion, about do you trust women enough to let them make

decisions about their own lives. this is how she talked about it. >> if i have to listen to one more gray-faced man with a $2 haircut explain to me what rape is, i'm going to lose my mind. >> frankly, to be fair, the romney campaign is probably thinking the same thing -- i'm going to lose my mind if we have to keep talking about rape in this election. its association with the republican party that he does not want to be associated with. right, but then he picked paul ryan. they have the fight over forced ultrasounds, the government telling you you need to have a medically unnecessary procedure at the order of the state, regardless of what you want or what your doctor says and he picked a guy who picked a forced ultrasound bill for the country, paul ryan was on board with that. paul ryan was a co-sponsor of a bill with todd akin it redefine rape. paul ryan was a co-sponsor of a bill for personhood. would ban all abortion, it would also ban intreat roh fertilization and most forms of birth control. if you want to avoid the fight,

don't put paul ryan on the platform. >> and on the platform, talked about you shouldn't be able 20 do invitro fertilization, something that a lot of republican women have a problem with. it's on the republican platform. >> virginia and colorado, both of those states, michael bennett is the united states senate in colorado, he survived because of the abortion issue, because of the gender gap. he created one of the widest gender gaps in any senate race in the country in 2010. i want to get to a larger point, the issue, the irony to akin and mourdock. and hearing somebody with the nrsc. that isn't who the nrsc wanted, they wanted more moderate republicans, more establishment republicans, but they've not been able to police their own party, he can't. because the base of the party will lash out at them this is an anchor around mitt romney. one of the things our polling has shown is that mitt romney has better favorable ratings than the republican party overall. the democratic party has better

favorable ratings than the republican party overall. i think there's a case to be made, if mitt romney does not win this election, there will be people pointing fingers at him. i think the fault lies with the republican party, took its image took a turn to the right as far as some voters are concerned in the middle. that romney himself should be able to win. >> can i -- voters vote for people, not parties. so romney, romney's on the ticket, not the republican party. >> i don't know. >> i want to defend gray-faced guys with $2 haircuts. >> where do you get a $2 haircut? >> the crucial gap is a marriage gap. republicans and mitt romney are doing better by almost 20 points among married people, including married women. democrats and barack obama are doing better than 20 points among single women. so that's the crucial gap here. and so that is a question of, that's how you tailor who you're trying to get. and the republicans are doing extremely well among people who want bipartisanship. among people who want some stability. they're doing well among that

group. but the where republicans are falling short is among the single group where obama is doing well, remember the ad where he said government is going to help you here, help you here, republicans have not offered a counter help you. >> i want to go to chuck's point about the republican right. one thing we've seen in this election. the right wing lost this election. mitt romney signaled that in the first debate where he said you know all this tea party stuff we've been running on for two years, i know i can't win the election on that, i'm going somewhere else. the second point is you saw something interesting in that mourdock example, in terms of how mitt romney responds to the pressures in his own party. he could have pulled down the ad that he made for richard mourdock. and he refused to pull that ad down. in the third thing is the whole discussion of i will be bipartisan. i can't help but want to point out that the republicans for the entirety of obama's term have said no, no, no. and so what they're really say

something we've been nasty when there's a democrat as president. but elect a republican and we'll be happy to work for him. this is kind of political extortion. >> i want to button this conversation up with what i think is an overarching point. that really does frame the last nine days. we were told this was going to be the ultimate clarifying campaign. two distinct choices. now i feel nine days out -- a fair amount of uncertainty. there's the question of which mitt romney are you going to get if he becomes president and there's the question of, what's the second term for president obama going to look like? >> i want to talk about the last nine days, we were talking about how mitt romney has a message advantage in this respect -- he gets to say the same thing for the next nine days. because all he's trying to do is win over the swing voting women, if

it's the reason why you don't hear the larger message, because he can't do it. >> david, i disagree with your premise, i think yes, there are have been changes in position and i would argue there have been more changes in obama's positions frankly. think there's a very clear choice here. an extremely clear choice between a man who is saying i am going to run and govern with pro growth policies. i am going to govern through bipartisan coalitions and a man who has manifestly not governed with pro growth policies. >> it's amazing to me that we're still saying that president obama was such a weak president. he was unable to work his will in washington. >> thank goodness we have nine more days. because we need nine more days

to continue this debate. great conversation this morning. thank you all very much. a reminder, stay with nbc news all week for a special coverage of hurricane sandy and of course the election. that's all for today, we'll be back next week for our special election-week broadcast live from nbc's it's something you're born with. and inspires the things you choose to do. you do what you do... because it matters. at hp we don't just believe in the power of technology. we believe in the power of people when technology works for you. to dream. to create. to work. if you're going to do something. make it matter. ♪ atmix of energies.ve the world needs a broader that's why we're supplying natural gas to generate cleaner electricity... that has around 50% fewer co2 emissions than coal.

and it's also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol - a biofuel made from renewable sugarcane. >>a minute, mom! let's broaden the world's energy mix. let's go. properly inflated tires can increase fuel efficiency by three percent. that's about 8 cents a gallon, and that can really add up over the next few years. see, going green can save you green the more you know.

man: a boy born in joplin, missouri was fascinated by anything with wheels and a motor. the odds of him going on to fascinate millions with his talent? 1 in 260,000. the odds of this born racer having 157 career top 10 finishes in nascar? 1 in 125 billion. the odds of him winning both the daytona 500 and the brickyard 400 in the same year? 1 in 195 million. the odds of a child being diagnosed with autism? 1 in 110. i'm nascar driver jamie mcmurray, and my niece has autism. learn more at autismspeaks.org./signs